You're My Paradise
by Kisses on the Bottom
Summary: Newlyweds Mal and Natara find themselves in Acapulco, Mexico, ready to embark on their honeymoon...and have the time of their lives in each other's grasp of love and excitement.
1. Chapter 1: Te Amo

"Ooh, look at this, Mal!" The short, blissful silence between the two newlyweds was broken by an anxious and thrilled Natara Fallon. She held a brochure in her hand that read: _Acapulco: Paradise for the Couple_, and excitedly pointed out a small paragraph to her husband, who was gazing out of the airplane window.

Mal smiled and picked up the brochure and began to read aloud: "_For years, Acapulco, Mexico has been considered to be the ideal paradise for mankind. With so many things to do and sights to see, it is still thought as a felicity today. Now, you can partake in all that Acapulco has to offer, as you and your significant other bond by the beach and see why visitors call it 'the living paradise.'" _

Natara wrapped her arms around Mal and sighed. "Are you as excited as I am? This is going to be _so _much fun! Just think of all the activities we're going to do…diving, camping, rafting, hiking, sailing, surfing, fishing…" Her voice trailed off as she broke into a smile.

Mal placed the brochure down and ruffled Natara's hair. "Of course we're going to do all those things…but have you forgotten that it's our time to bond? We only have two short weeks to spend with each other, _alone_."

Natara nodded and took a sip of the wine she'd ordered that came with their first-class airplane seating. "Mal, we have a lifetime to spend together." She nuzzled her cheek into his arm.

"You know what I mean…" He couldn't help but laugh.

Nat let the corners of her lips form a smile. "I know. And I promise you, we're going to have the time of our lives."

"I know we will."

Natara leaned back in her seat and folded her hands behind her head, cradling it as she relaxed. "I've been dreaming of my honeymoon for my entire life." She finally blurted out.

"Oh, really?" Mal took this as a surprise.

"Mmmhhmm." Natara nodded and closed her eyes. "Really, really. I used to pretend that I was a princess in a far off land, and my servants would bring me to the beach. Then, my Prince Charming would pick me up and carry me to the water… and we'd swim and feed the dolphins all night long." She opened her eyes again. "It sounds stupid, right? I was just a kid when I imagined that."

Mal couldn't hold in his urge to laugh. "Too bad, Nat…I guess you're stuck with me as your Prince Charming."

"Stop, it, Mal." Natara tried to whack him with the brochure, but she missed and let out a lighthearted giggle.

"Nope." He shook his head and tickled her ribs.

She jumped and let out a growl. "Jerk."

"I love you."

"Love you too," Natara sighed and didn't feel surprised at all when Mal leaned over and slowly kissed her lips. She pulled away after a few moments and picked up the brochure again to see all of the pictures of the gorgeous beach that she and Mal would be residing at for the duration of their honeymoon.

Mal leaned back in his chair and unlocked his phone to see that he had sixteen messages from Kai Kalaba. He closed his eyes, not bothering to text him back. The closer that he and Natara got to Mexico, the farther away they'd be from anything stressful back in San Francisco. Not that Kai was entirely stressful to be around…it's just that Mal wanted to spend the next two weeks with Natara only. He hoped that didn't seem too selfish to want.

Mal broke the silence once more. "Natara, there's only one problem…" he glanced at the brochure nervously with a confused look on his face.

"What?"

"Well…we're going to be in Mexico for two whole weeks, and I don't know much Spanish."

"Mal, you're lucky I took AP Spanish in high school," Natara laughed.

"Yeah, but that's not going to do me any good!"

"Mal…_yo te amo_." Natara leaned in, her lips brushing his. Mal could feel her warm breath dancing lightly on his cheeks. He sighed and took in her sweet, perfume-smelling aroma. It made him speechless for a long moment.

"What does that mean?" he was finally able to say.

"You'll find out soon enough." And Natara caressed his lips with hers.


	2. Chapter 2: At New Heights

The waters were crystal-clear and extremely vast, as if the ocean spread all over the globe…they made one feel relaxed by just looking at them and their mysterious ripples. Even the current was light and promising, and everywhere you went, you could hear birds native to Mexico happily singing on the rocky cliffs by the sea.

But one cliff in particular had a man and a woman standing on top of it. The man stood at the edge of the cliff, ready to plummet into the deep waters, but the woman stayed at least ten feet away from the ledge, shaking with fear.

"Natara, you've _got _to do this." Mal's tone was pleading and urgent.

"No…_way._"

"Please?" Now he was desperate.

"_No._ You only told me we were coming up here to explore the cliffs. _Not _to jump off of them."

"Awww, come on Nat…I know what I said, but this looks like so much fun…you said it yourself on the plane, this is going to be the time of our lives! Besides, the tour guide even told us it was alright to jump off of these if you're over 18 years old, and we _are. _So please, _please _do it?" Mal begged.

The stern look on Natara's face didn't change.

"Look Natara, it's not every day you're in Acapulco, about to jump off of a 30-foot cliff into the ocean! This opportunity is almost once-in-a-lifetime!" Mal urged, trying to coax his terrified wife into bounding off the rock. "And besides, I'll be right here beside you."

The look on Natara's face softened. "Really?"

"I'll hold your hand the entire time." Mal whispered, gently pressing his lips to her neck.

Natara gulped and locked her fingers with his. "Ok…I'll jump. But Mal Fallon, I swear to God, if you let go of me while we're in the air…"

Mal didn't give her the chance to finish. "Sure, Nat…_JUMP!"_

"_What?" _she gasped, but Mal pulled her into the air as he flung himself off the cliff and began to cascade into the water. Natara screamed so hard and loud that her lungs hurt, but beside her, Mal just shouted happily and held onto her hand tightly.

There was a split second in the air that Natara actually felt like she was having fun. _So this is what it feels like to fly…_she thought as her screams turned into laughs. The summer air lashed at her face as she plummeted into the moderately cool and refreshing ocean. The waves rolled over her head as she gasped and pulled her face above the water.

Then Natara realized that Mal wasn't there next to her in the water.

"MAL!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and frantically treaded water, trying to brace herself with her arms_. "MAL!"_

Nearby, Mal only laughed and swam up to her from a few feet away, placing his arm around her waist. "It's ok, Nat, I'm right here." He gazed into her eyes to see that they were full of worry, but there was a wild glare to them that told him that she had fun.

"…Oh, thank God you didn't drown." Natara panted, trying to catch her breath. "Something could have happened to you...it _was _a thirty-foot rock we just jumped off of, after all." She was still a little shaky, but wore a small grin that only Mal could see. "And might I remind you that it was _your _idea?"

"Natara. Admit it…you had fun." He ignored her last remark.

Natara broke into a smile.

"What did I tell you?" Mal laughed and held her close. "I _knew_ you'd enjoy that jump. It doesn't take the work of an FBI profiler to figure that out."

Natara only laughed and swam to the shore, her husband following right after her. "Well, thanks to you, I got my favorite tank top wet." She slapped him with a piece of seaweed that she peeled off of her arm upon leaving the water.

"You know it was worth it, Nat." Mal laughed and threw off his soaking wet shirt.

"So what?" Natara smiled in a teasing manner. "By the way, those are hot abs, Mal."

"Don't you just love them?" He placed his shirt on a rock and ran his fingers through his hair to remove all of the water. "It took me quite a few hours at the gym to pull these bad boys off, though."

Natara laughed quietly, perched herself on a nearby rock, and looked at the vast beach, where there were young people having fun and playing volleyball. She glanced at the vast ocean once more to see a man parasailing in the distance. "Mal, we are totally riding a parasail tomorrow. No exceptions."

Mal walked up and sat next to her, placing his arm around her waist. "Now I'm starting to see the adventurous side of Natara Fallon…damn, I thought I'd never see the day!" he joked.

Natara slipped off her tank top to reveal a black string bikini. She whacked Mal with the top she had just taken off. "I am _too _adventurous. And I'll show you tomorrow."

"Natara, those are hot abs." Mal laughed.

"Not funny, Mal."

"I am _very, very _funny."

"_Sure_."

"I'll prove it to you."

"_Sure_ you will."

"Ok, Natara, you asked for it." Mal smirked.

Natara returned a grin. "Asked for wha—AHHH!"

Mal tickled her stomach and she fell backwards into the ocean. A few seconds later, her head came bobbing up over the water. "MAL!" she screamed. "_NOT FUNNY!" _

"Hi, Nat, how are you doing down there?" he laughed and laughed from the top point of the rock he was sitting on. "Having fun down there, aren't—WHOA!" Mal's smirk turned into a shout as Natara pulled his arms, causing him to tumble into the water.

As soon as he reached the surface, it was Natara's turn to laugh. "You deserved that."

Mal ignored her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Natara suddenly stopped squirming and let her lips slowly cradle themselves around his, as if she didn't have a care in the world anymore. They spent an extremely long moment like that until finally, Natara pulled away.

"I forgive you, Mal." She smiled and let him kiss her cheek.

"Well, that's good. Because I was about to ask if you wanted to climb the cliff again to have another jump." He raised an eyebrow and searched for an expression on Natara's face.

She smirked and stood up. "Race you."

"Oh, you are _on._"


	3. Chapter 3: Deadly Perfect

"…Natara, are you ready _yet?_" Mal asked for the fiftieth time and knocked outside the bathroom door.

Inside, his wife was busy getting ready for what was about to be one of the best nights of her entire life. In one hand, she held a flattening iron for her hair, and in the other was a tube of lipstick. She ran the iron through her side bangs once more and quickly unplugged it from the wall, frantically applying the rosy-pink color on her lips.

"Yeah, I'm done!" Natara straightened out the gorgeous light-blue sundress she was wearing and ran a few fingers through her hair to make sure it was perfect. She threw open the door to see her impatient husband outside, crossing his arms. But as soon as he saw how nice Natara looked, he couldn't help but smile uncontrollably and wrap his arm around her waist.

"You look beautiful." He complimented, feeling his face turning warm.

Natara walked over to the dresser and took out a fake white lily and clasped it to her hair, pulling her bangs back to add an extra lovely accessory. She smiled. "Thank you."

Mal watched as she gracefully picked up her purse and slid into a pair of white high heels that matched her dress perfectly…not that he could tell. He just thought Natara looked wonderfully perfect at that moment. "…Are you ready to go?" he finally snapped out of it.

Natara nodded. "I've been ready for a minute and a half."

"More like five seconds."

"Whatever makes you happy," Natara rolled her eyes and got inside the car, a warm breeze floating in. She closed her eyes for a moment and smelled the refreshing island air, calming every inch of her body as Mal climbed in the passenger seat and revved up the car engine.

"So, are you excited for dinner tonight?" he smiled and began driving to the marina.

Natara could only grin uncontrollably. "…of course I am," she finally blurted out and snuggled into the warm leather seats of the car. "That's why I got all dressed up."

Mal frowned. "Oh, so women only get dressed up for certain events?"

"Well…" Natara began, and tried not to laugh. "…we're complicated. Men don't know the first thing about fashion, so it's up to the women to take over the world in that matter."

Her husband didn't say another word, but smiled and drove in silence until he pulled up in front of a very fancy yacht by the moonlit waters. He got out of the car, took Natara's hand, holding it tightly and tenderly, and kissed it. She smiled as he gently placed his arm around her waist and walked to the boat with her at his side.

They approached a very well-dressed Mexican man holding a clipboard at the entrance of the boat. "_Hola,__visitantes__.__Bienvenidos a la empresa__Acapulco__Comedor__Agua!_" He greeted, and repeated the unfamiliar words in English. "Hello, visitors, and welcome to Acapulco's Water Dining Co."

"Thank you, Sir," Mal nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out his ID. "We're Mal and Natara Fallon, here for our 10:00 p.m. reservation." The man checked Mal's identification card, smiled, and nodded.

"Of course, _Señor._ Have a wonderful boat ride and _cena, _which means dinner in_ español_." He led the couple to the gorgeous ocean view of the boat, where there was a beautifully-set table for two.

Natara gasped; the sight was so gorgeous and breathtaking. "_Gracias, señor, y usted tiene una buena noche, si?" _

The man nodded in surprise that Natara could speak Spanish. _"__Egualmente,__señora!__Usted tiene__una buena cena." _

Mal wrinkled his face in confusion, but his wife just shook her head and sat down at the dimly-lit table. "Well, this scene is beautiful," she finally blurted out, straightening her dress. "I mean, really! It's not _every day _that you're on a gorgeous yacht in the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Mexico!"

"Natara…" Mal smiled and held his drinking glass tightly as a Mexican waiter served him a strawberry-lime blenderita struck with the taste of tequila. "…Nice job dragging a geography lesson in here."

Natara sat back, only half-amused. "Very funny, Mal."

The rest of the dinner passed lightly and romantically as the boat gently made its way through the waters, the newlyweds dining upon its surface. Eventually, the night began to draw to a close, and Natara placed her fork down when she was finished eating her delectable Spanish rice and chicken.

"Mmmm…" She sighed and closed her eyes for a minute, tucking a strand of her jet-black hair behind her left ear and letting her arm fall onto the table. Mal placed his hand on top of hers, and she sent him a warm grin. "Mal, this is so perfect."

A small silence passed before Mal spoke again. "Sure is."

They watched as the moon shone brightly above the beautiful Mexican mountains and cliffs. It hovered for a long moment, creating a blissful moment that seemed to hang for a long moment, creating the most wonderful atmosphere a newly wedded couple would want.

Until Mal felt an uncomfortable twinge in his pants.

No, it's not what you're thinking…but the twinge was painful and near his leg. Something was crawling up his the inside part of his trousers, but he didn't know what. It felt like it had claws and seemed to attach itself to his skin, which gave him a tingly feeling.

"_Ouch…_" he whispered quietly underneath his breath, and Natara sat up quickly.

"Everything okay?" she wondered aloud.

"Yeah, I'm good." Mal simply nodded, even though the pain was still there.

"O-okay," Natara nervously smiled and gave a tiny shrug, unsure whether to believe him, but he pressed his lips to hers to reassure her that he was all right. They spent a long moment kissing under the moonlight…

Even though Mal felt the uncomfortable, sharp pain spread up his leg into his thigh.

Wincing in pain, he tried to keep calm as Natara wrapped her lips around his, which he enjoyed very much; however, the pain just became unbearable as it kept moving up his leg. Mal could feel tiny, sticky paws making their way up…

He trembled violently, and Natara pulled away in alarm.

"Mal, what the…?" she gasped.

"Something…" Mal began, grimacing in pain. "…on…my…LEG…"

Natara frowned in confusion as Mal leapt up from his chair and jumped up and down.

"OW! _OWWWW_!" The paws began bearing into his skin as he moaned in pain. "Pain…pain…pain…on…_my leg!" _

Shooting up out of her chair, Natara ran over to Mal, nearly tripping over her high heels. "Mal, are you…?" she began, but Mal fell on the ground, kicking.

"Owwwwwwww…feels like _claws…_"

"Uh, Mal?"

"_CLAWS!"_

"Mal…?"

"_OUCH!" _

"Mal! Listen to me!" This time, Natara's voice was fierce. "_Why are you squirming?_"

"There's something in my pants!" Mal was finally able to say, barely catching his breath as he struggled to speak, teeth clenched. "And it's _sharp!" _

Natara frowned. "Umm…"

"On my leg, I meant!" Her husband moaned and placed his hand to where the unexplainable pain was happening. Natara just kneeled over his body and furrowed her brow in confusion, running her fingers through her hair, like she always did when she was really thinking about something.

"Mal, what exactly…?" she began.

"Natara, I think my leg…it…I think I got bitten by some venomous thing that was in the water when we jumped off the cliff and landed in the water yesterday…'cause my leg is _burning…_" Mal grimaced as the clawing feeling went deeper into his skin.

His wife let out a sigh. "Ok, I can handle this. Mal, are you feeling confused or incoherent?" she started.

Mal shook his head.

"Are you having difficulty swallowing?" Natara pressed her hand to his forehead to feel for his temperature.

Mal gulped. "No."

"Any difficulty breathing?" She checked his pulse.

He inhaled; then exhaled. "Nope."

"Mal, this is really,_ really_ weird…" Natara's stomach did a large flop as she held her husband's hand tightly. "Just hang on…"

Mal groaned. "Yeah, I know…I've never…OW…experienced anything…OW…like…_this!" _

"Yeah, I…it's very likely you could have been bitten by something, and the venom is just now kicking in…" Natara swallowed hard. "Y-you don't remember seeing anything strange in the water, right?"

Frowning, Mal struggled to regain composure as the "claws" he felt tore through his skin. "Well, our tour guide _did _mention that there were several species of exotic jellyfish and salamanders, as well as a few harmful fish, but he also said that there hasn't been a poisonous fish encounter since 1980…"

Natara bit her lip. "Mal, I…I…there…that doesn't mean you weren't bitten by anything!" Her heart began to beat quickly inside her chest. "Oh my gosh…Mal…you could…the…the _poison…_"

Mal couldn't understand her, she was stuttering too much. "Natara, what are you trying to say?" he wondered aloud.

"I…" she began, and broke down into tears. "You p-probably _were _bitten by something…your pulse is quickening…"

He frowned as he watched her sob into her arm. "Natara, it's only a possibility. I actually don't think that would happen…Acapulco _does _have some very safe beaches…"

"_But it could happen, and I think it did!" _his wife wailed. "Mal, _this _is why I was afraid to jump off that cliff! I told you we shouldn't have while we still had the chance to back out!"

"Natara, you weren't afraid of poisonous creatures…you were afraid of heights!" Mal argued.

"I…I…" Natara took a deep breath. "Mal, tropical reptiles and fish can be extremely deadly, even if the poison _does _take awhile to attack all of your organ systems. If…if you _were _to be bitten by something, then you…you…would h-have a very slim chance of survival…"

Mal opened his mouth to argue, when something poked its head out from a hole it bore into his pants.

"_AHHHH!"_ Natara screamed, and the Mexican waiter, the one that served the drinks an hour before, ran over with a wineglass in his hand.

"_¿Qué pasa__aquí?__¿Por qué__gritas__?" _He gasped and watched in amazement and fear as a lizard crawled out of the hole it through Mal's pants, near his thigh. "Wh-what's going on here?" He dropped to his knee as Natara fell over, switching from sobbing to laughing.

"I…" Mal began, but the sound of Natara's laughter drew him out. She rolled on the floor and struggled to breathe as she giggled louder than she ever had before. "A _lizard? What the hell?" _he gasped as the waiter cocked an eyebrow.

Natara kept laughing. "_Oh…my…God! It was a lizard this WHOLE time! _Mal, I…I thought you were going to die!" she gasped and regained composure.

The waiter leaned over and picked up the small reptile. "Oh, I know this species! This is the Neotropical Green Anole, native to Chiapas, Mexico! I wonder what this little guy is doing here in Acapulco?" he stroked the lizard gently and looked at Mal. "_Señor, _are you all right? Is everything ok? I deeply apologize for this reptile encounter!"

Mal tried to sit up, but couldn't, due to the fact that Natara had her head resting on his lap, gently shaking as she silently laughed. "Um…I…I'm ok, it's ok…"

Natara threw her head back, her voice erupting into fresh peals of laughter. Mal couldn't resist a smile and let out a small chuckle. Pretty soon, he was laughing just as hard as she was, if not harder. The waiter slowly crept away and carried the lizard to safety as the newlyweds behind him kept giggling for a few minutes.

Pretty soon, Natara placed her hand on her stomach, which ached from laughing so hard. "Oh my God, Mal, I thought you were dying!" She gasped and tried to regain composure, as well as her husband.

He wiped a tear from his eye and grinned. "For a minute, I thought I was dying, too…"

Natara sighed and sat back against the railing of the boat, abandoning her delectable drink that waited for her on the table. Mal watched as she closed her eyes, a smile forming in the corners of her lips.

"…and you were crying." He reminded her.

Natara blushed, the dark night hiding the deep shade of red creeping upon her cheeks. "I thought you were dying, Mal."

"Yeah, but you cried!" He grinned uncontrollably and wrapped his arm around her waist. "That means you love me."

Natara paused. "Of course I love you, Mal. That's why we're married, isn't—"

But Mal pulled her into a long kiss before she could say anything else. He could feel the fallen tears on her cheeks dampen his face, but he didn't bother wiping them off. Natara threw her arms around his neck, and brushed her love-burned lips with his. They spent a very, very long moment embracing each other's mouths and pulling each other close. After what seemed like a year of a blissful kiss shared with Natara, Mal finally pulled away and lightly caressed her cheek with his hand.

He got out of his sitting position and stood up, helping Natara to her feet.

"Hey, Nat, I've got a great idea." Mal began.

"What?"

"Let's continue this back in the hotel room, shall we? I prefer the bed."

Natara smiled, but Mal couldn't see; the night was too dark. So she grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently to acknowledge his statement, and after a short moment, answered him.

"Sounds like a great idea."

…

**Oooh, spicy :) Things are really startin' to get romantic! XD**

**Oh, thanks for reading, by the way. You guys just make my day when you review! Plus, it helps me improve my writing style and grammar. That's the thing my Language Arts teachers tell me to work on…grammar, grammar, grammar.**

**Bleh.**

**Anyways, I really hope you take the time to review!**

**Oh, and just a bonus…**

**The first person to review will get to be a character in one of my stories! Just leave me your first name in the comments or private message me if you don't want anybody knowing your name on this site. **

**Well, that's about it!**

**And, yeah…I REALLY should get to sleep, it's kinda late in my part of the U.S…but hey. Writing fanfictions is just waaaay too much fun. **

**Oh well. :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Surprise, Surprise

**So, now is when things start to get PG-13. Well, this story is Rated T for a reason, isn't it? I just thought the Fallons could use a little fun. **

**Care to review?**

…

Natara threw her purse down on the couch and flopped down into the bed, sighing heavily as her husband closed the hotel room's door with a grin.

"Oh my God, Mal... I still can't get over that lizard..." She giggled softly as Mal lay down next to her, not resisting a smile.

He caressed her long, silky hair as she took a deep breath. "Well, Mexico is full of surprises. This is just one of them."

Natara still grinned. "Sure, whatever you say."

Mal mischievously inched closer to his wife. "And you know who else is full of surprises?" He placed his lips to her cheek as she smiled, showing him a set of beautifully-straight, pearly-white teeth. "Nat, come here." He hopped out of the bed and gave her arm a gentle tug. "I have something to show you."

Natara stood up and followed Mal as he took her hand, leading her to the elegant and beautiful master bathroom towards the back of the suite.

He motioned his arm towards a beautifully-set jacuzzi. It was large and spacious, with a beautiful cloth on the rim that supported a bottle of champagne and two crystal-clear wineglasses. On the wall next to the gorgeous hot tub, there was a giant window with the blinds closed. It made the setting seem mysterious.

Natara's mouth dropped. "Mal, I…how did you...?" She began, but her husband cut her off.

"I just called the hotel ahead of time and asked them to get us a suite with this room in it. They secretly changed our reservation." He made it sound like it was nothing, but Natara was genuinely surprised.

She smiled as Mal placed his arm around her waist. "And the champagne? How'd you get that?" she questioned him.

Mal returned a grin. "I bought it in San Francisco, before we left, and hid it in my suitcase to enjoy here."

Natara still couldn't believe it. "Why haven't I noticed this room before?" she asked herself. "I-I thought it was a closet." Thinking deeply, she gave her husband a puzzled expression. _How _did _I never notice this room? _She let her thoughts run wild.

Mal shrugged. "That's 'cause I kept this room locked...until tonight."

His wife was speechless.

"...Oh, and you still haven't seen the best part yet!" Mal exclaimed as he opened the blinds to reveal the amazing sight of the city of Acapulco.

Natara gasped as she looked out the window, eyeing the gorgeous city lights and towers. Glancing at the ocean, she could see tiny ripples in the water, sparkling and being illuminated by the moonlight. The vacation spot seemed so calm, yet busy at the same time. It placed the perfect feeling and atmosphere to the jacuzzi setup.

"Mal, I..." Natara began, still mesmerized by the dazzling view of the city.

But Mal shook his head. "Are we gonna stand around all night looking at the city or have some fun?" he argued.

Natara didn't object as Mal opened the faucet and let the hot tub fill up with water. He bent over and opened the champagne, letting tiny bubbles flow down the bottle. She stood near the tub, waiting excitedly as Mal took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, as if to say: _Almost ready._

And surely enough, in a few moments, the Jacuzzi was full and the stars in the night sky shone brightly. Natara was still impressed by the remarkable city view as she watched cars cruise on down the roads and go to different places: nightclubs, bars, parties, anywhere.

She almost didn't notice Mal throw off his shirt and place it on the sink counter. He motioned for her to do the same, so she blushed as he undid the zipper to the front of her dress, and let all of her garments gently fall to the floor. She took the flower clip out of her bangs, her dark hair falling past her shoulders. Pretty soon, Mal had lost his pants as well, setting them on the countertop.

He stepped inside the bubbling, hot water first, and then reached his hand out to Natara, who took it and climbed in as well. She let the soothing water circulate around her back, providing a massage sensation.

Mal took her hand again. "How's it feel?"

Natara didn't have to think about the answer. "Hot," she responded and gave a small shrug. Mal grinned and came up with a quick comeback on the spot.

"Not as hot as me, right?" he asked with a smirk.

"To be honest, Mal, I can't really tell," Natara tried not to laugh as her husband frowned.

"Well," he began with a mischievous smile. "After tonight, you'll definitely think that I'm hotter. You can count on that."

Sighing, Natara nodded and leaned her head back to get another look at the marvelous city. She glanced back at Mal and playfully shrugged. "Well then, Mr. Hotpants, let's get started."

Mal nodded and pulled his wife closer to him, placing his hands on her beautifully slim body. "I'm liking that idea, Nat," he grinned and got closer to her. "But here's the thing...I'm not even wearing pants."

Natara couldn't help but laugh. "Ok, good one," she sighed as the steaming water relaxed her even more. "I honestly didn't expect you to come up with that good of a comeback that quickly."

Mal turned around and poured the dark red champagne into the glasses and handed one to Natara. "Well, what can I say? I'm dashing."

"You're too kind," Natara ignored Mal's last comment, but smiled and held her glass tightly, looking at the delicious drink inside the cup.

Her husband thought for a minute, then raised his glass. "Well, here's a toast to Natara Fallon, the most beautiful person in the planet, inside and out."

Natara couldn't help but smile as she kept her glass next to Mal's as he continued his small speech.

"And I'd like her to know that I love her so much and I'd do anything for her. Yep, you could say I'm a lucky guy to have someone as gorgeous as her." Mal smiled and almost tapped his glass against hers as she grinned uncontrollably.

He hesitated for a moment. "Oh, and here's a toast to not seeing Kai for two whole weeks while we're away."

"Mal!" Natara frowned, but her lips turned into a smile as she tapped her glass against his. She let the champagne gently slide down her throat as she took a long sip; Mal doing the same.

"Now," he cleared his throat and placed his glass down. "Where were we?"

Natara shrugged innocently. "Well, let's see if I can remember correctly…you were just about to seduce me before you had to give that little speech, which I loved by the way."

Mal nodded. "Oh, it was nothing." He messed with her bra clasp, trying to pry it open. "Just a little thought that I wanted you to keep in mind."

"Well, I think it was nice," Natara said after a short moment of Mal trying to undo the metal clasp. After a few seconds, he grinned wildly as he succeeded in opening it. He gave Natara a wink as he let go of the metal, letting the straps of the bra slip right off her shoulders. "I win."

She shrugged and leaned forward, capturing Mal's lips with hers. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, never wanting to let her go. Natara could feel the bright city lights settling on her eyelids as she shut her eyes, letting Mal lock his tongue with hers. She felt Mal's hands capture her body, luring her closer, closer…

When finally, he pulled away and whispered in her ear: "You know how I said that I prefer making love in the bed?"

Natara nodded.

"Well," Mal continued. "I only said that so you wouldn't be too suspicious of this hot tub surprise."

His wife smiled. "Well, you did a good job, Mal Fallon."

"Why, thank you," Mal pulled Natara close and kissed her cheek. "But don't I do a good job at everything?"

Natara let out a watery laugh. "Sure, Mal. Just keep telling yourself that." She turned around again to get another glance at the magnificent city, which never ceased to amaze her. Exotic birds flew all around the large buildings, giving the atmosphere a tropical feeling. "This is paradise." She couldn't stop smiling as she gently placed her hand on the glass of the window, as if to reach for the dazzling city.

"Sure, Nat. Whatever you say," Mal sat next to her.

"You don't seem too passionate about the view," Natara frowned.

Her husband let out a small grin.

"Well, sure I am. But truth is, Nat, _you're _my paradise."

…

**Reviews? Please? Anything?**


	5. Chapter 5: Stories in the Sand

"_Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone."_

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><p>The breeze that flowed freely throughout the dark coast allowed waves to gently roll onto the shore, making beautiful and soft crashing noises that were heard throughout the beach. Natara loved it. As a child, her father would play relaxing ocean noises so that she could fall asleep when she was having stressful nights after long days of school…it really helped.<p>

Natara shook that memory out of her head and squeezed her husband's hand as they both walked down the soft, cool sand. Normally it would be hotter, but it was midnight, and the sun wasn't heating the beach up.

"So," Mal broke the silence with a frown. "I got fourteen texts from Kai yesterday. Crazy stuff."

Natara couldn't help but grin at his frustration. "What did he do this time?"

Taking out his phone, Mal cleared his throat and began to quote the texts, still holding Natara's hand tightly. "_I bet you and Agent Hottie are heating up the bed right now! You and Natara having a badass time? Visit a nude beach for me! Wish I was there!" _

For a moment, Natara found herself speechless, but regained composure. "That is so like Kai to say those things."

Mal had to agree. "Yup. I'm not texting him back, though."

His wife laughed softly. "Oh?"

"Nope," he smiled and quickly kissed her neck. "I'm not letting him ruin our two weeks together."

Natara shrugged and grinned. "Works for me."

They walked a bit more, until Natara suddenly stopped. Mal looked back and frowned, his arm a foot ahead of hers, trying to pull her forward. "What's wrong?" he asked as she let a large smile form at the corners of her lips.

"Can we please stop here?" her voice sounded like she was half-begging, half-sighing.

Mal looked around. "Sure, but why?"

She didn't explain, but tugged him towards the fence that ran down the beach that protected the sand dunes, and flopped down in front of it, leaning her back against the wooden railing. Mal hesitantly did the same.

After a minute, he spoke out: "Um, what are we doing?"

Natara smiled. "Looking at the moon," she whispered. "It's so beautiful."

Mal had never been one to truly appreciate nature. He shrugged and watched as Natara lay down on her stomach, resting her chin in her palms as the breeze allowed her hair to sway freely. He gently placed his hands on her back, moving them in a comforting circular motion as she stayed still.

"_A backrub?"_ Natara let out a large grin. "I feel like a princess!"

Mal kept massaging her with one hand, but reached the other one out and lifted up her chin, gazing into her eyes. He returned a smile. "Yeah, well, you're _my _princess." And he kissed her gently, feeling her soft lips brush against his own.

Natara nodded and closed her eyes, placing her head on the soft sand as Mal deepened the backrub. "Mmmm…keep it coming, Mr. Fallon."

"Sure I will," Mal laughed. "But I'm gonna start charging you."

Natara frowned. "_Seriously? _How much?"

He thought about that for a second, and then gently whispered into her ear: "How about a kiss for every ten seconds that I'm rubbing your back?"

His wife grinned. "You're naughty, aren't you?"

"Not as naughty as you'd like me to be." Mal had a comeback for everything.

Natara shrugged. "Well, it's worth a shot."

"Whatever," Mal chuckled. "I'll be counting every second, though."

He rubbed deeper, and Natara sighed. Ten blissful seconds passed, and he took his hands away from her back. She sent him a strong frown as he threw in a teasing comment. "Insert some cash into the ATM, baby."

Natara shrugged and turned around, throwing her arms around Mal's neck. She pressed her cheek to his collarbone and let the breeze drift the intoxicating smell of her perfume up her husband's nose as he let a contagious grin spread down his lips. She let her nose brush against his for a long moment, and finally kissed him.

Mal wrapped an arm around her waist and kept it there for a moment. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, Natara jerked away. "You said to give you a kiss, and I did. Now rub for another ten seconds, servant."

"Hey!" Mal tried to hold back a smile. "I was actually enjoying that. And besides, who said I was your servant?"

Natara flopped back into the sand and laughed playfully. "I did."

Mal crawled up to her, placed his lips to her cheek, and moved them to her ear. "Can I be your Prince Charming instead?"

His wife thought about that for a minute. "Only if you build me a sand castle."

And a few minutes later, Mal had his knees deep in the sand, using them to stabilize himself as he shaped mounds of it into walls and pillars. He scooped up a whole glob of the stuff and attempted to make a tower, but it took the form of a potato instead.

"What's taking so long, Prince Charming?" Natara called from her 'throne', a fold-up lawn chair that someone had left out on the beach. Mal frowned and cursed under his breath as he tried to shape the sand efficiently with his tired hands. They were already sore from giving Natara a backrub.

"_The things I do to make girls happy…" _Mal muttered to himself and turned around to face her. "Remind me why I'm doing this again!" he angrily called.

"Hee!" Natara giggled and leaned back in her seat. "You're trying to be my prince, that's what you're doing."

Mal groaned and dropped the shovel he'd found on the beach, letting it plummet into the sand. He turned around and ran towards Natara. Before she could react, he scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her towards the ocean.

"Ohmygosh!" she screamed at first, but her voice transitioned into a laugh.

"Gotcha!" Mal held her tightly as he stepped ankle-deep into the water. She was surprisingly light and easy to carry.

Natara took a quick, deep breath. "Please don't drop me."

Her husband shook his head. "I'm not making any promises."

She couldn't hold in a laugh. _"Please?"_

Mal ignored her and looked around at the water he was standing in. "Jeez, Nat, we're naughty."

"How so? I'm wearing a one-piece," she responded, which made him smile a little.

"I meant that we're standing in the water without a lifeguard watching," he tried not to laugh as Natara blushed a dark crimson color, thankful that the dark night obscured Mal's view of her red cheeks.

"Well…I…" she began, but Mal cut her off.

"I'm only kidding, Natara. I love you."

Natara tried not to let out a soft smile as Mal gingerly held her above the water. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered: "Love you too."

He smiled and stroked her arm gently, then leaned in to whisper in her ear. "It's still too bad you're wearing a one-piece, though. Those are hard to take off."

"_Mal!"_

He laughed gently. "I was just kidding."

Natara couldn't help but smile as Mal leaned in so that his nose was brushing hers. He inched forward so that their lips were barely touching, tasting her strawberry lip gloss as he kissed her softly. She quietly deepened the caress, grinning as she wrapped her lips around his, letting him brush a loose strand of hair off of her cheek. They spent a few minutes like that until Natara pulled away, smiling wildly.

Mal let her lean her head back until she was almost upside down. He pulled her down a bit so that she was almost touching the water. She reached out and placed her hands into the ocean, attempting a handstand…and she would've done one, too; if it hadn't been for Mal, who quickly swooped her up again.

"_Agh!"_ she screamed. "What the…? Mal! What was _that _for?"

Her husband just laughed. "You should have seen your face."

Natara frowned, but couldn't keep it in place. A smile broke out on her lips as Mal placed her down, her feet being immersed into the cool water. She took a long look around as he held her hand tightly, eyeballing some green plant floating in the water.

"Mal, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Natara smirked.

Her husband returned a mischievous grin. "Seaweed fight?"

"You know me so well."

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><p>Mal sat quietly as he felt Natara's body move up and down to the rhythm of her soft breathing. He cradled her head in his lap and ran his fingers through her seaweed-stained hair, grinning as he remembered how he'd thrown globs of the plant at her as she ran to gather more ammo. (The ammunition being kelp).<p>

In her own way, Natara looked gorgeous, even though she was covered from head to toe with sand, saltwater, and seaweed.

_That's how I know I'm in love with her…_Mal suddenly thought. _No matter how messy or unkempt she looks, she's still beautiful to me. And that's what matters._

He stroked her cheek, caressed her ear, and placed a finger on her soft lips. He'd kissed them several times while he was dating her, and even more on the honeymoon. But his thoughts then drifted to the other people she'd kissed.

Shawn Mallory. Oscar Santos. Himself. And a dozen other high school and college relationships she'd told him about.

That's when something struck Mal. It never dawned on him that he was so lucky to have Natara as a wife. She could be with any other dashing guy that told her lies to receive her love. But she had chosen him. She trusted him. She loved him.

Mal stroked her cheek once more and watched as she slept peacefully under the bright stars, her head resting in his lap. He leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers, softly enough so that she wouldn't wake up.

"I love you too, Natara."

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> I apologize for the briefness of this chapter in comparison to the others. The next one will be longer, I promise. I already have it planned out. And I'm sorry to those whom I told that I'd be updating it last night…I started to feel sick so I just went to bed. You're really great readers.

So, uh, review please?

Hey, it just may help me update faster.


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